Trailer & Poster for the Remake of Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘Pusher’

Nicolas Winding Refn may not be a household name, but his 2011 film Drive – with a worldwide box office take of $76 million and 93% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes – certainly helped raise the Danish filmmaker’s profile.

Prior to that film, Refn was known for edgy, divisive projects like Bronson (2008) and Valhalla Rising (2009), but his first effort was Pusher, a 1996 crime thriller that would evolve into a trilogy. Now, it seems that Refn’s career has come full circle, as he is executive producing the British remake of Pusher, the trailer and poster for which have just been released.

Most remakes are written off as nothing but lazy attempts to exploit an established fanbase, but given Refn’s involvement – and the fact that Zlatko Buric reprises his role from Refn’s version – the Pusher remake looks to hew closer to the source material than, say, the recent Total Recall redo.

Also, seeing as how mainstream American audiences are unlikely to be familiar with the original Pusher, this new film gives them a chance to experience the story from a fresh, modern perspective, while allowing the filmmakers the opportunity to (hopefully) make some fun creative choices to ensure that this new Pusher isn’t merely a retread of its predecessor. No one – least of all, fans of the Pusher trilogy – wants a situation similar to Gus Van Zant’s disastrous 1998 Psycho remake.

Check out the poster below:

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And here’s the film’s official synopsis:

Based on the edgy and explosive series by visionary director Nicolas Winding Refn (‘Drive’), ‘Pusher’ stars Richard Coyle as a drug dealer who grows increasingly desperate over the course of a week after a botched deal lands him in the merciless clutches of a ruthless crime lord. The more desperate his behavior, the more isolated he becomes until there is nothing left standing between him and the bullet his debtors intend to fire his way.

Are you familiar with the original Pusher, Screen Rant readers? Will you check out the British remake? Sound off in the comments.

Pusher will be available on demand and on iTunes on Septermber 28th. It hits theaters on October 26th.